American Legion Magazine. Degrees of Guilt April Issue, Vol. 142, No. Mark Rowh. A very good overview of the problems caused by diploma mills, the extent of the problem and how to avoid being conned by a diploma mill.
Better Business Bureau.
Is the Internet Becoming a Haven for Diploma Mills? Short but to-the-point article on the increasing prevalence of diploma mills and some of the warning signs that you may be dealing with one.
Hamilton Spectator. Diploma.mill Sep 3, 1999. Interview on the subject of online diploma mills with Rodney Merrill, distance degree consultant and founder of DegreeFinders.com; John Bear, author and pioneer in distance degree research and consulting; and other authorities in the distance learning field.
Kansas City Star. Diane Carroll and Lynn Franey.
Kansas authorities investigating Monticello University
Quack Watch. Dr. Stephen Barrett.
Bernadean University: A Mail-Order Diploma Mill.
Wired News. Mar. 23, 2000 Kendra Mayfield.
Phony Degrees a Hot Net Scam Interviews on the subject of online diploma mills in the era of online degrees and other forms of distance education. with Rodney Merrill, distance degree consultant and founder of DegreeFinders.com; John Bear, author and pioneer in distance degree research and consulting; and Michael Lambert, executive director of the
Distance Education and Training Council.
bizjournals.com/South Florida wrote and excellent series on Barrington University, one of the so-called "prestigious non-accredited universities" offering degrees in the ad above:
From the October 13, 2000 print edition. Ed Duggan. Reality check for Virtual Academics.com. Just a few highlights:
Company literature described the chairman as having a doctorate and masters degrees, but he has neither.
The university accredition service touted by the company doesn't have offices at addresses given in Switzerland and Washington, D.C., but a search found it was incorporated in Florida by a group that includes Virtual Academics' chairman.
The location listed as headquarters for Virtual Academic's main university is the location of an answering, secretarial and bookkeeping service. Chinese professors and schools get a commission selling degree programs to some of Virtual Academic's students. And that's only the beginning. I was pleased to assist Ed Duggan in tracking down the secretarial service.
From the October 27, 2000 print edition. Editors. Virtual Whatever is an opinion piece that summarizes and puts a spin on the findings described in the article above.
From the October 27, 2000 print edition. Ed Duggan. Alabama threatens to pull university license.
Just a few highlights:
Alabama officials threatens to pull university license of Barrignton University, the flagship of Virtual Academics.com (OTC BB: VADC) of Boca Raton.
The company failed to notify Alabama that the university, which is registered and incorporated in the state, changed ownership in January. When a state inspector checked, Barrington University also had moved out of its listed headquarters at A&S Answering & Secretarial in Mobile.
When a state like Alabama—with some of the most lax degree granting laws in the nation— threatens to pull a university license, you know something is not right!